Stopper-rod.



M. @3&149. Patented Foh. I9, I90I. S. ANTHNY.

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Unitarian @trarne SOLOMON ANTHONY, OF LORAIN, OHIO.

STOPPEFMHOD.

SPECXFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,149, dated February 19, 1901. Application tiled December 28, 1899. erial No, 741,823. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, SOLOMON ANTHONY, of Lorain, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful lmprovement in @topper-Rods, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which Form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in stopper-rods for casting-ladies, and is designed to provide means whereby the life of the rod is greatly increased and the necessity for repairs thereto largely ohviated.

lt is customary in steel practice to connect the ladle-stopper to the stopper-rod by means of a short button-headed bolt, which is passed up through the stopper from the under side, the latter being cored out to form a seat for said head. The upper end of the bolt seats in a socket in the lower end oi" the rod and is secured by a key or cotter driven therethrough and through slots or openings in the rod, the lower end ot' the rod coming down against the stopper. Around the rod is placed a sectional protection-sleeve of refractory material. While this construction has been very widely adopted and used in steel practice, it is one which requires very fret |uent repaire to the rod. This is due to the 'fact that the connection between the rod and the stopper is made at the bottom portion of the ladle, which is longest subjected to heat, and also at a point near the lower end of the protection-sleeve where the latter meets the stopper. The intense heat soon destroys or partially destroys the lower end of the sleeve, and coming` in contact with the lower end of the rod burns out the connection between the rod and stopper. lt then becomes necessary to cnt ott' the lower end of the rod and to weld on a new piece. A considerable number of these end pieces are necessarily kept in stock and the cost of the same and the cost of cutting the rods and welding on these new pieces is a very considerable item, to say nothing of the annoyance and delays which result therefrom.

My invention is designed to very largely overcome the above-stated difculty without materially changing the general construction of the stopper-rod or the manner of its connection to the stopper; and it consists ininterposing a protection-piece between the stopper and the lower end ot' the rod, arranged to keep the heat and hot metal away from said rod and which being of inexpensive material and construction can be cheaply and readily renewed whenever necessary without disturbing the rod or the connection between it and the stopper.

The invention also consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view, partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation, showing` my improved stopper-rod as in use; and Fig. 2 is a detail View, partly in section, showing the connection between the rod and the stopper On a larger scale.

The letter A, Fig. l, designates a castingladle, B the usual nozzle-brick in the bottom of the same, and C the usual stopper.

D is the stopper rod, having a goosenecked upper portion and at its lower end bored ont to form a socket d, intersected by a key-slot.

E represents a short connecting-bolt, having a buttonehead c at its lower end, which is seated within the stopper in the usual manner, and its upper end entering the socket CZ and secured therein by a key or cotter d.

The rod D is made shorter than in the old construction, its lower end being preferably two or three inches above the stopper and well up within the protection-sleeve G, and seated on the bolt E between the rod and stopper and within said sleeve is the protection-piece H. This piece H consists of a short cylinder of any material calculated to withstand heat, castiron being very suitable for the purpose.

It will be readily seen that when the heat breaks through the lower end of the sleeve or between the sleeve and stopper instead of coming in contact with the lower end of the rod it comes in contact with the protectionpiece H. The latter being well calculated to stand `the action of heat will last for a consid- IOO erable period, and when burned away to any considerable extent can be readily removed and replaced, the rod being unharmed.

The exact construction and arrangement which I have shown and described is not essential to my invention, and variations in details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a ladle-stopper, a stopper-rod having a socket in its lower end, a stopper-securing device engaging the said socket and removably secured therein, a sleeve of refractory material surrounding the said rod, and a sleeve of refractory metal removably seated within the first-named sleeve SOLOMON ANTHONY.

vVVitnesses: 4

A. O. JOHNSTON, D. W. LAWRENCE. 

